


A Cinderella Story

by Magnusismyrock



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Crossdressing, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-14
Updated: 2011-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-27 07:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/293414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnusismyrock/pseuds/Magnusismyrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cinderella makes it look easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cinderella Story

Cinderella makes it look easy; she puts on the dress and shoes, and just gets the guy.     
  
But here is Gerard, in a blue silk and black satin dress, balancing in black stilettos, looking in the mirror, terrified. He can’t go out like this, he thinks. He’ll look stupid and silly, especially to a party full of upperclassmen. 

He sighs as someone bangs on the door, shouting that he had better leave now or he isn’t leaving at all, so he lifts the ends of the skirt and double-checks his make-up. On his way out the door he grabs a blue necklace that came with the dress and puts it on. This will be the night. The night he gets his man.     
  
~

When the car stops, it’s in one of the rich neighborhoods. Someone Gerard vaguely knows is throwing a graduation party, and his parents are out of town, which means it’ll be packed with drunk people. A great party for Gerard’s purposes.

~

As soon as he gets inside, he’s assaulted by the sound of people shouting to each other over the pounding bass.One or two turn to look at him, but no one says anything. No one asks him to dance or stops him to see who he is. Gerard is giddy with anticipation, because this means that    
he’s passing!    
To the guys he’s just another possibility. To the girls, competition.     
  
He weaves through the crowd, grabs a beer, and heads to the back of the living room. There’s a group of guys back there from school, standing around, bullshitting and not grinding quite as much as the rest of the party. Ray Toro, guitar legend of the junior class. Gerard’s brother, Mikey, who is popular for knowing everyone -- a self-perpetuating cycle. Gerard doesn’t know how he does it. Gerard doesn’t recognize the other guys, but he doesn’t pay them much mind anyway. He walks straight up to Ray and bats his mascara-coated eyelashes a few times. He could swear he saw Ray miss a beat in his bobbing with the music. Gerard smiles and trails his fingertips over his arm, turning towards the dance floor.   
  
As long as he doesn’t speak, this could go well. ‘Well’, in this context, meaning ‘okay until Gerard lifts his skirt.’   
  
Ray follows him and, once on the dance floor, grabs his wrist and spins him around. “You wanna dance?” He slurs, a little abashed. Gerard just nods and hooks his hands around Ray’s neck.

~    
  
When the song ends, they stand there awkwardly until the next one comes on, Gerard’s gaze directed downward to his aching feet. As the first few notes of the third song ring out -- sweet, slow chords, the sort Ray probably played the first time he picked up a guitar -- Ray asks if he can have one more dance. He looks scared, like Gerard might run just because it’s a slow song.  Gerard just leans in a bit and rests his head on Ray’s shoulder. It came so naturally, like the heels make him someone else. Someone who can actually dance. 

They sway together until the song was done.   
  
“So who are you, mystery lady, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ray asks, smiling but sincere. “I haven’t seen you around before.”   
  
Gerard freezes. He really should have prepared for this, but he hadn’t actually figured out the part between the dancing and the nudity. 

All he can manage is a terrified squeak. They stare at each other for a second, and then Gerard does the obvious thing and runs off -- well, shuffles off, in those damn shoes -- to find his brother.  “Mikey, we gotta go, Now!” Gerard hisses as in Mikey’s ear, almost startling him into spilling his coke.

He looks pissed, but he’s the designated driver, so he has to leave.   
  
~   
  
When they get home, Gerard realizes he had lost the necklace somewhere along the line. After mourning for all of thirty seconds, he strips in the living room and hops in the shower -- there are advantages to having perpetually absent parents. He wipes the confidence off his face along with the mascara. Afterward, when Mikey asks why they had to leave, Gerard just grimaces. “Almost blew my cover,” he says, and that’s the end of it.   
  
~  

The next morning -- well, noon. Morning for parties -- there’s a knock at the front door. Gerard answers it poptart half crammed in his mouth. He almost chokes when he sees who it is, but comes to his senses. He’s not dressed up anymore; Ray isn’t going to recognize him.   
  
“Hey, um. Is Mikey here?”   
  
Gerard scowls. “No, he went to the store.” This is a lie, obviously. He has no fucking clue what happened to Mikey. Probably still asleep. “Why?”   
  
Ray shrugs. “His friend that went home with him? She dropped this necklace and I wanted it to get it back to her.”   
  
“Oh, um.  I can give it back to her if you want.”   
  
“   
Cool okay see you   
!” Ray says, all in one breath, and he’s gone before Gerard has the chance to awkwardly wave him off.

~   
  
“Gerard, you can’t go; you’ll just be teasing him! You know he doesn’t like guys!” Mikey shouts over the running water.   
  
“I’m going,” Gerard says, voice projecting confidence he doesn’t really have. “I won’t talk unless I need to. I just want to thank him for getting the necklace back to me. Besides, he    
asked me out to dinner!    
It would be unladylike to turn him down.”   
  
“Fine,” Mikey says. “When you freak out and need a ride home, I won’t be there.”

“Good,” huffs Gerard.   
  
~   
  
At the restaurant, Gerard waits on a bench, fidgeting with the hem of his dress. This one was red and black; It used to be his mother’s back in high school, but now she didn’t fit it. She thinks she lost it.     
  
~   
  
“Oh,” Ray says as he sits down, slightly taken aback. “You came. Uh, I hope you got your necklace back.”   
  
“Yeah, that’s why I came, I wanted thank you,” Gerard says, trying to keep his voice light and quiet. Ray still seems surprised by the gruffness, and Gerard cringes. “Sore throat,” he says. “You can see why I didn’t want to talk at the party.” It’s a shitty excuse, but Ray buys it.   
  
“Oh, It’s fine,” he smiles, too busy staring at Gerard to really listen to him anyway.   
  
~   
  
They talk for a long time, eat dinner, talk some more. Ray does most of the talking, but that’s okay, because he has quiet a lot to say and Gerard also really likes listening to him. 

Now they’re standing outside Gerard’s car. The sky is closing in around them. It might rain, but then again, it might just be Jersey.   
  
“You really have to go?” Ray asks, looking down at his shoes.   
  
“Yeah, I have to get home before it gets too dark.”   
  
“Before you go, can I give you something?” Ray asks, sounding scared. As if Gerard would say no to anything Ray asked.   
  
“Sure,” Gerard says, and that’s it. Ray has his mouth against Gerard’s, gentle and light, because he still thinks Gerard is delicate. He’s barely even there before he pulls away. Ray turns and walks briskly towards his car. Gerard stands there for a second, debating.  

It isn’t a hard decision. He runs after Ray, stumbling, heels clicking on the pavement. When he catches up, he grabs Ray’s wrist, turning him towards him and reconnecting their lips, harder this time, but still tentative. Like if he tries too hard, everything would fall to pieces.     
  
“Will I ever see you again?” Ray asks. Fuck, he’s a hopeless romantic. Gerard    
knew   
it.   
  
“I may. No -- um, I have something to confess.” Gerard decides to spill.   
  
“Oh, okay,” Ray says with a tiny smile.   
  
“I. Um, how do I word this? Here let me show you.” Gerard grabs a handful of the dress and wipes his makeup off with it, scruffing up his hair to its usual state of disarray. He kicks off the stilettos and looks up at Ray. “It’s me, Gerard,” he says, back to his usual cigarette-wrecked voice. 

Ray gapes for a moment, and then: “W-what about at the party? Are you joking with me?  What is this about?” He’s embarrassed and angry by the third question, and Gerard feels like a dick.   
  
“Hey, let me explain. I -- yes, it was me at the party, and no, I’m not joking with you.  I kind of, um.” Gerard looks at his now bare feet and wiggles bits of asphalt out from between his toes.   
  
“You what?” Ray’s anger had deflated but was still looking a bit ruffled.

“I like you, okay? I know you don’t like guys, and I just. I just wanted a chance, you know, to see what it could be like. You and me.”  Gerard looks back at Ray’s face. “But I guess I kinda blew it, didn’t I?”   
  
“I. You’re not joking?  This isn’t a prank? “  Ray asks again.   
  
“No.  I’m not joking, this isn’t a prank, and I’m a retard. I know.” 

“No,” Ray smiles, grabbing Gerard’s chin. He tilts it upwards and steps forward until they’re toe to toe, Ray taller than him without the shoes. “You’re not a retard. If you want me to try this, I’ll try,” he says softly. “No guarantees, but I’ll try, for you. If a guy will put on a dress and shoes and make-up, twice, just to get a chance with me, I have to at least give him a shot.” He pauses to smile into Gerard’s hair. “Especially one who looks so hot as a chick.” 

Then Ray’s lips are back on Gerard’s, soft and warm.

They pull apart when the first drops of rain hit the pavement, making fat little splotches on everything, including Gerard’s ruined hair.   
  
“Come home with me?”Gerard asks, melting into  his touch and simultaneously trying to shelter himself under Ray’s hair, hopeful.   
  
“Alright.” He says, steering Gerard towards his car.


End file.
